In 1509, Juan Garrido, a free black man and conquistador,
arrived on the island of Puerto Rico as part of Ponce de León's
entourage. Juan Garrido is reported to be the first black man
ever to set foot in Puerto Rico.

Africans were part of the formation of the "Puerto
Rican" culture and identity from the very beginning, helping to
shape our music, art, language, and heritage. From the early colonial
times there were free black citizens, freed slaves, and "cimarrones,"
or escaped slaves. Christian convert slaves, also known as "ladinos"
(slaves who spoke bozal Spanish), accompanied Ponce de León to
Borinquen in 1509.

The slave "trade" did not reach the island
until 1519. The slaves were brought in to work the sugar cane fields.
Between the years 1530 and 1540, the slave population reached its highest
level, with slaves surpassing Spaniards 5 to 1. Slavery was abolished
on March 22, 1873.

The African imprint in Puerto Rican culture
is apparent in many ways: foods such as gandules, cocos, bacalao, yames,
funche, plátanos and pasteles; music such as bomba and plena; and in
our vocabulary with words like borundanga, and fufú. The most distinct
African cultural influence comes from the Yoruba tribes in Africa. Our
music and dance are finely seasoned with sabor Africano.

Part of the undisputed African legacy on
the Puerto Rican culture includes a peculiar speech pattern. The West
Africans brought to the island spoke "bozal" Spanish, a mixture
of Portuguese, Spanish, and Congo - much like the poem excerpt on this
page. Many Puerto Ricans have the habit of swallowing the "s," and often
pronounce the "r" as an "l". This is because in the African tongue there
is no "s" or "r" sound.